Wishing for Second Chances
by Celeste Noir
Summary: When something horrible happens can a simple wish turn it all around? Rated for a bit of language and violence.
1. Prologue

**Wishing for Second Chances**

**Celeste Noir**

AN: I do not own. I wish I did, especially Kyo. But I don't. They belong to their wonderful creator. Thank you so much for reminding me! Now I'm going to go cry. laughs I do however own Takako and my best friend has graciously loaned me Sachiko. Now go and enjoy the story.

**PROLOGUE: NURSERY RHYMES AND WISHES**

Everyone has heard the children's nursery rhyme Star Light, Star Bright. You know, the one that goes:

_Star light, star bright,  
First star I see tonight.  
Wish I may, Wish I might,  
Have the wish I wish tonight._

Well, that's what I'm doing right now. Standing beside the window in the library of the main Sohma house, waiting for Hatori to come in and talk to us, and wishing really really hard. I'm wishing I could take back things I said. I'm wishing I could undo things I did. Mostly though, I'm wishing I were still cursed. Why? Because maybe, _maybe_, if I were still cursed, then she would still be alive. What happened? It all started yesterday night…

AN: I know only one page… but I'll have the first chapter up soon! Hopefully later on today. Review please? CN


	2. Admissions & Pain

**Wishing for Second Chances  
****Celeste Noir**

_AN: Do not own, wish I did. They belong to their wonderful creator. I do own Takako and my best friend has loaned me Sachiko. Now go enjoy the story._

**CHAPTER 1: ADMISSIONS AND PAIN**

_**Flashback**_

It was dark outside, we had just finished dinner, and I was sitting on the roof. Takako was going home tonight and I didn't want to see her leave. If I didn't see her leave then I could pretend that she was still here. That someone who listened to me was still around. Sure Tohru listened, and she cared somewhat, but she was Yuki's. That damn rat had her. I could see the storm clouds rolling in and I felt the first drops of cold rain begin to fall. I knew I should probably go inside, but I didn't want to. I had my beads on and Takako hadn't left yet. The rain began falling a bit harder and below me I heard Shigure talking. He was telling Takako that if she didn't want to get too wet she had better leave before the storm got any worse.

I sat up as the door opened and a square of light formed on the wet ground below me. Takako's shadow soon filled it. "I'll be back in a few weeks. I promise," I heard her say as she reached down and slung her backpack over her shoulder. "Good bye every one."

I saw Hatsuharu's shadow join hers by the door as he handed her an umbrella and slung an arm around her shoulder. "Be careful and don't take too long coming back," he told her as he playfully messed her hair up.

"I'm older than you Haru," she said. I could hear the smile in her voice. "I should be the one telling you that."

He just laughed along with everyone else. "You'll miss your train. Get going so you can come back."

I saw Tohru and Sachiko give her a hug before Haru shoved her gently out the door. "That's from all of us," she told Takako.

After a moment of silence I heard Takako step out of the shelter of the house onto the wet ground and open her umbrella. The door closed softly and I heard her take a few steps before she stopped. "Kyo?" Her voice was soft; as if she wasn't really sure I was there. "Kyo… I'll be back soon. I'll miss you. I'm sorry I couldn't find your gift, but I'll find it and bring it back with me." She had given everyone else small gifts at dinner earlier, but she couldn't find mine. She looked so upset about it, it was almost adorable.

Not that _she_ knew I thought she was adorable. I couldn't risk her knowing how I really felt. I couldn't risk it. I couldn't take the pain. I didn't say anything. I didn't really know what to say.

"I'll see you soon Kyo." I just barely heard her as she walked off towards the train station.

I sighed and lay back down on the wet roof. I didn't like the rain, but I liked being in that house a lot less right now.

Ten minutes later I heard Yuki's voice from the house. "Get inside you damn cat. I don't want Tohru to have to coddle you when you get sick because you're too stupid to come in out of the rain.

He was just _asking_ to get punched. I jumped from the roof and landed on the ground in front of the door right as the damn rat opened it. I swung and punched him in the face. He just grinned and kicked me in the stomach, knocking me off my feet and sending me back a few feet. Our fight continued for a long while until he knocked me into a tree probably bruising my back (amongst other things) and shattering my beads. "No… not again…" I muttered in disbelief as I stared at my wrist watching the broken beads fall to the ground in pieces.

"Kyo?"

I looked up. It couldn't be. She left! She was supposed to be at the train station! I felt myself transforming into my true self. _'No! Not now. Not with her watching!'_ I ran into the woods so she wouldn't have to look at my hideousness.

"Takako? I thought you were at the train station."

"I was Sachi, but I found Kyo's gift and I wanted to give it to him before I left," I heard her say. Then I heard her footsteps.

I assumed she was heading back to the station. _'I don't deserve anything. I'm hideous. Wait, her footsteps are getting CLOSER. She's following me!' _ I run faster and hear the others yelling for her to come back to the house.

She only speeds up and continues after me.

I hear her stumble and fall but she gets up and keeps following me.

"Go away!" I yell. "Leave me alone!" I reach the clearing by the lake and hear her stumble and fall. My smell must be getting to her. Then I hear her get up and she walks into the clearing.

"Kyo? Why did you run away?"

"Just leave me ALONE!" I yell as I turn to face her. "Don't you get it! Can't you see that I'm hideous!"

She just walks closer. She tries to touch my arm. "You're not hi-"

I scream and cut her off. "Don't touch me!" I yell as I swing at her, clawing her neck and shoulder. "I'm hideous! Just go home! I don't care if you come back! Get lost!" I swing at her again and claw her stomach and chest open. "I'll cut you to ribbons if you don't go and leave me alone! I don't want to see you again!"

'_I don't want you to see me like this. I don't want you to see this- this THING every time you look at me. I'll make you so miserable and you'll hurt so bad you'll never want to SEE me again, let alone be near me. Then I won't have to remember the pain I caused you. I hate my life! I hate pity!'_

That's what I'm _really_ thinking as I yell at her.

She falls to her knees in the mud when I stop yelling at her. She's crying. Good. Maybe she'll go away now. Then I notice she's not going anywhere. She's just kneeling there beside me, crying softly.

"Go AWAY! And leave me alone!" I yell furiously as I hit her again, knocking her onto her butt in the mud.

She winces when I hit her, but that is her only reaction.

I hit her again. "Why won't you leave? You're supposed to be gone anyway!" I'm barely a foot in front of her, glaring at her fiercely.

She looks up at me, her pale blue eyes overflowing with tears. "I don't want to leave… I want to stay here with you."

I stare at her as she whispers those words and wraps both her arms around one of mine.

"I don't want you to be alone Kyo. I want to be there for you. To be there with you, care for you, talk with you."

I glare at her furious. "WHY! Why do you care? Can't you see what I am! Can't you smell? I'm HIDEOUS!" _'I don't deserve to be cared about. I'm a monster…'_

"Maybe on the outside, but I know what you are inside Kyo."

I growl and swat at her again.

She winces and falls back into the mud, landing on her knees.

"Why do you care so much?" I ask with a growl.

"Because I do Kyo. I came back to bring you your present. I found it in the bottom of my bag," she says as she pulls a small box out of her jacket pocket. "I hope you don't mind, it's a little bloody." She holds the box out to me.

I just stare at the small box in bright purple wrapping with an orange ribbon. "Why?" I ask, not understanding why she is still being so nice, so… understanding.

"Because I care Kyo," she says softly.

I notice that she is now lying on the ground in a puddle of bloody water and mud. _'Maybe she'll learn to leave me alone now,'_ I thought, slightly upset. "Don't you get it?" I yell. "Aren't you scared!"

"I am… but…"

"But what!" I'm glaring at her again, but she doesn't seem to notice.

"I want to be with you Kyo. I don't want you to think no one cares." Her voice is weaker by now. I have to strain to hear her. She has lost a lot of blood and I'm just standing there snarling. "Open your present Kyo," she offers the box to me again.

"No one _does_ care!" I snarl as I stare at her and swat the box out of her hand.

She grabs the box off the ground and looks up at me. "I do… I love you Kyo. Yes you're scarier in that form, but I still love you. I always have and I still do. I don't want you to be alone."

As I stare at her, a shocked look on my face, I feel myself returning to normal and I'm kneeling beside her. I see how badly she's hurt and how much blood she's lost. "Takako, I'm-"

She cuts me off, pressing a finger gently to my lips. "Shhh. Open it," she tells me as she offers me the box for a third time.

This time I gently take it from her and open it. Inside the box I find a white gold necklace with the character for cat and the character for panda (my nickname for her because of her black and white hair) attached. The characters could snap apart so one person could wear one and a second person could wear the other. I look up from the necklace in the box and notice that Takako is dying. I roll her over onto her back and see for the first time how badly I hurt her. "No! Takako, please answer me. You have to be okay." I put the box in my pants pocket and picked Takako up gently. She was dying in my arms.

_AN: Ooo! Cliffy! Well, you know the drill… please review! I want to know what you think so far! Flames are welcome as well if you feel you must. I have lots more marshmallows to roast._

_CN_


	3. Sunrises and Phone Calls

_AN: Sorry this took so long! But I've found my disk with the fic on it so I should have the rest of the story up provided I get a few reviews. Also, Yuki is a bit mean in this chapter, so for all you Yuki fans, I apologize._

_Once again, I don't own though I wish I did… At least Kyo and Haru anyways. Oh, and Shigure for my best friend._

**Chapter 2: Sunrises and Phone Calls**

I ran the whole way back to the house not caring that I had nothing on but my pants. I fling the door open with one foot and run into the living room. There I set Takako gently on the couch and grab the phone. I hurriedly dial Hatori's number and wait impatiently as the phone rings. "Come on. Pick up…" Finally he answers.

"Hello?"

"Hatori? You have to get over to Shigure's house now. It's an emergency!" By now the others (i.e.: Shigure, Sachiko, Yuki, Tohru, and Hatsuharu) were looking at me as if I were insane. I didn't care though.

"Kyo? What happened?"

I walk into the kitchen where no one can hear me and give him the ten-second story. "So you have to get over here please. It's literally a life or death matter Hatori."

"I'll get there as fast as I can Kyo." With that he hung up and I did the same.

I went back into the living room and sat on the floor beside the couch. The others were looking at me as if they wanted to ask what happened but were too afraid to ask. That was a good thing though because I didn't feel like telling anyone anything.

Fifteen minutes later Hatori rushes in (he must have sped, it normally takes a half hour to get from the main house to Shigure's house.) and helps Tohru, Sachiko, and me finish cleaning her up then he examines her. "It doesn't look good. She's lost a lot of blood. I'll have to take her up to the manor. I may be able to save her up there. Help me get her into my car."

'_MAY be able to save her?'_ I felt like my heart had just been ripped out. _'Please, don't let her die…' _I stand as Hatori does and help him get Takako in to his car.

"I'll call you in twenty-four hours and let you know what's going on. If anything happens before then I'll call," he says as he starts his car and drives off.

I just stand there staring after him. _'Twenty-four hours. That'll be tomorrow night.'_

"Well nice job, cat," Yuki says with a sneer. "You just killed the girl."

"She's not dead!" I yell.

"Not yet. But she will be by tomorrow. She lost way too much blood to survive for long."

I so want to punch him. I just want to knock him through the walls like he's done to me so many times. I walk over to him and stop directly in front of him. "She won't die. So stop saying she will you god damn rat!"

"Oh she'll die. You're just in denial because you're the one that caused it. And even if she doesn't die, she won't ever love you."

That was the last straw. I punch him as hard as I can and he goes flying through the living room wall out onto the porch. "SHUT UP! I'm sick of you!"

He stands up slowly and runs at me. I catch his fist mid-punch and toss him over my shoulder out the other wall and then I walk outside to pick up the few beads that are left on the ground from earlier that didn't get shattered. The others just stare at me. I've just beaten Yuki for the first time and to be honest, it doesn't feel as good as I thought it would. I only find eight beads that aren't shattered. The rest of my beads are in pieces. I pick up all the pieces and put them in my pocket. As I put my hand in my pocket I feel the box Takako had given me. I climb up to the roof again and pull the box out of my pocket. I open it and stare at the necklace inside. "Takako…" I whisper softly as I lay down on the roof. I fall asleep up there, but it isn't a restful sleep. I keep dreaming that Takako is dead and she blames me. When I wake for the fifth time at dawn I decide to give up on sleep. I stand up, stretch, and watch the sun rise. _'Takako would have loved watching this,'_ I think as the sun rises turning the sky various shades of orange, purple, pink, and blue. She loved watching sunrises, when she could wake up early enough to see them. I laugh softly, remembering something she once said when I asked her why she liked watching sunrises so much, and why they were so special.

"Well, I always get to see sunsets," she tells me with a smile. "All you have to do to see those is stay awake long enough. To see a sunrise you have to wake up early. Staying awake is easy, getting up is the hard part," she says as she pokes me in the nose then heads off to the kitchen to make her breakfast.

"Always cheerful…" I jump down from the roof about an hour later and go get dressed to go train. I didn't feel like doing much else. I stay out all day long training. Tohru comes out about noon to bring me lunch. She acts like she wants to ask me something, but doesn't know how. Finally she just heads inside after telling me that if I want to talk she'll listen. Once she heads inside I eat the lunch she brought me. It was just a few rice balls and some soup, but I don't think I could have eaten any more if I had tried. Once the sun starts to set I head back to the house. I see Shigure outside. "Has Hatori called yet?"

He shakes his head. "Not yet Kyo. Why don't you go take a shower? Sachi is making dinner. We'll let you know when it's ready."

I head inside and upstairs to the bathroom. I decide I probably DO need a shower and so I lock myself in the bathroom for the next half hour under a warm shower. As I'm turning the water off I hear a knock at the door.

"Kyo? It's Haru. Dinner's done. You going to eat?" he asks through the door. His voice doesn't sound as confident as it usually does. Probably because he regarded Takako as a sister, and I had hurt her. Hence, I had hurt him.

I sigh softly. "Yeah Haru. I'll be down as soon as I'm dressed."

"Alright. I'll see you down stairs."

I hear his footsteps fade down the hallway and down the stairs. After wrapping a towel around my waist I open the door and make sure no one's there then head to my room. There I change into my cargo pants, a white tank top, and my black hoodie with the white stripes down the arms and head downstairs. Everyone else is already sitting at the table except for Tohru and Sachi who are bringing in the food. I sit down and we eat in semi-silence.

Five minutes later the phone rings. Shigure stands up to get it, but I beat him to it. "Hello?" Even I can hear the urgency in my voice.

"It's Hatori. You all need to be here at ten o' clock. Akito wants to see you. All of you."

He sounds fairly calm. Does that mean-? "What about Takako? Is she-?"

"I'm not allowed to say. Just be here by ten."

Before I can say anything else he hangs up on me. I stand there staring at the phone, as if that will tell me something Hatori didn't.

"What did he say Kyo? Was it Hatori?" Tohru asks from the kitchen.

I nod. "He says we all have to be there at ten. Akito wants to see us."

"Akito?" That was Shigure. He sounds as stunned as I feel.

"Yes." I head up to my room before anyone can ask any more questions. Suddenly I don't feel like eating anymore.

"I wonder why Akito wants us all there?" Sachiko asks. That's the last thing I hear before I get to the top of the stairs and head to my room.

I decide against staying in my room and climb out my window onto the roof. That's where I stay until Shigure yells that we have ten minutes until we have to leave for the main house. I grudgingly climb back into my room, put socks on, and head downstairs while putting on the necklace that Takako gave me. The charms were still connected, so I put both chains around my neck. Everyone else is already ready to go. I sit down and put my shoes on then head outside, not saying anything. We take Shigure's car except for Hatsuharu who takes his motorcycle. The ride to the main house seems hours long. I just want to get there and find out about Takako and the one time I want to be there the ride seems forever long instead of only the thirty minutes it really takes.

_AN: I did it again, another cliffy. What does Akito want? Did Takako survive? Bwahahaa… Review and you'll find out! I haven't been getting many reviews, despite the number of hits I've gotten, so I turned the anonymous reviewer block off in hopes of maybe a few more reviews. HINT…_

_CN _


	4. Akito and Rain

_AN: I know this chapter is short, but I felt I needed to make it so, so that I could get some things explained._

_Once again, don't own, wish I did, never will. sigh Enjoy the story! _

**Chapter 3: Akito and Rain**

Once there we all head to Akito's room. He's standing in the middle of his room with that annoying arrogant smile on his face. _'This can't be good,'_ I think as we all enter the room. Momiji, Kagura, Ayame, and Kisa are already there.

"Well, now that we're all here I can make the announcement," Akito says with an evil grin. "I know you all heard about Takako's… injuries," he starts with a smirk at me. "I just thought I should tell you that she is feeling much better now."

My heart swells a bit as I hold my breath. '_Could it be true? She's alive?'_

"You mean she's alive?" Tohru asks, hope in her voice.

"No," Akito states simply. "She died hours ago. But she can no longer feel any pain, therefore she is feeling much better now."

My heart stopped. _'Dead? No… NO!'_ I feel like I can't breathe. My lungs have stopped functioning. My heart doesn't work. I can't even speak.

Sachiko chokes back a sob and hugs Shigure to hide her tears.

We all stare at Shigure, waiting for him to transform. It never happens.

"How come he didn't transform!" Momiji asks, voicing the question no one else can manage to voice.

We don't know what to think. How can he still be in human form?

Akito smirks. "When Takako accepted Kyo, the poor neglected cat (another smirk at me), for what he really was, despite the fact that he was _hideous,_ she broke the curse. Of course she had to die for it, but it was worth it don't you think Kyo?" he asks smugly.

I can only glare at him murderously while I hold back my tears and my anger. _'No. It wasn't worth it. Not in a million life times will it be worth it.'_

Akito heads back to the chair in the corner of the room he was obviously occupying before we all got here. "By the way, Hatori would like to see you all in the library across from his office before you leave," he says happily with a wave of his hand, ushering us from the room.

With that we all leave, eager to get away from Akito's room and his evil presence.

He's just happy we're not happy. He probably would have killed her himself if he could have gotten away with it. My doing it just makes it all the more enjoyable for him though.

As we walk across the estate it starts to rain lightly.

"It's as if the heavens are mourning her," Hatsuharu whispers softly beside me as he turns his face up towards the sky.

I only nod numbly. I don't know what to feel anymore. I just walk silently through the rain remembering how much Takako liked playing in it.

We get to the library and we wander through the room. Shigure and Sachiko sit down on a small couch against one wall. Momiji sits on a beanbag he had Hatori buy for him and put in a corner the room near his favorite books. He was here often enough to warrant getting his own little spot. Yuki and Tohru sit on another couch across from Shigure and Sachiko. Hatsuharu stands beside the door waiting for Hatori. Kisa goes from standing by Haru to going over and joining Momiji in his little corner. Ayame sits down in a chair between Shigure and Yuki. And me? I wander through the stacks until I get to the window.

That's where I'm standing now. Looking out the window at the few stars visible through the rain, wishing on each and every one of them that I could undo what I did, unsay what I said, and magically, somehow, bring Takako back. But I can't. And that hurts more than any of Yuki's beatings ever could.

_AN: How is it so far? Only one more chapter… So review! The more reviews, the sooner I'll get the end up.  
_

_CN_


	5. Desperation and Revelations

_AN: Here it is… the last chapter. Thank you all for sticking with me and reading the story. Please review and let me know if you liked it or not._

_  
The usual 'Don't own but wish I did,' applies._

**Chapter 4: Desperation and Revelations**

I hear the door open and I turn in time to see Hatori walk in, alone.

Haru looks at him, looking almost as desperate as I feel. "Is it true Hatori? Is Takako-?" He stops, unable to ask for fear of what the answer will be. Not that I can blame him, I don't want to hear it either.

Hatori nods and looks at me. "I'm sorry. There was no way she could have made it. There was too much blood lost, too many severed arteries. The wounds were too deep and too many. I tried, I really did." He looks almost ashamed of himself, like he failed the world by letting her die.

Everyone is staring at me now, looking at me like I'm going to explode. All I can do is swallow hard, trying to get my heart out of my throat. They all look at the floor. I can hear Sachiko, Tohru, and Kisa crying. Momiji looks like he'll start up any minute now too.

"It would take a strong person to survive that kind of injury," I hear Hatori say.

I blink back my tears. "Who would want to after what I did?" I ask softly as I turn back to the window to hide the tears that escape. "No one could love me after that. No one would _want_ to," I state as if it were obvious.

"There have been times, that when a family was cursed, and the curse was broken, innocents have died. However, on the rare occasion, the one who was supposed to die survives and the original bearer of the curse dies in their place. It's a very rare occurrence that happens only when one truly innocent dies," Hatori comments to the room, as if to torment us with this information.

I slam my fist against the wall, making the window shake and Kisa and Momiji jump, surprised. "It's not fair. She didn't ever do anything but help us. Why couldn't _this_ be one of those times!" I practically yell.

Unknown to us, Akito, alone in his room, suddenly drops the glass he is holding and falls to the floor dead.

Hatori smiles and steps aside revealing Takako to the room. "It was Kyo."

My heart stops as I whirl around while the others gasp. There stands Takako, unharmed and whole again. My body stops functioning. I can't believe it. "Takako?"

"It's me Kyo," she says with a smile, as if nothing from that horrible night ever happened. She runs over to me and I sweep her up in a huge hug.

I'm hugging her so tightly I'm half afraid I'm crushing her, but I don't want to let go for fear she'll disappear.

She buries her face into my sweater and I can feel her tears soaking through.

"What are you crying for?" I whisper without letting her go or loosening my hold on her. "I'm the one who's supposed to be crying, I almost lost you," I tell her softly as I bury my face in her hair to hide the tears threatening to fall again.

"I don't even know," she says just as softly. "I'm just glad I'm with you again. And even if you turn into that creature again, I'll always love you Kyo."

That one simple sentence meant the world to me, to know that she would love me, despite that creature that was my other form. I smile. "You don't have to worry about that anymore TakaPanda, you broke the curse. I won't turn into that -thing- ever again. You broke the spell," I tell her as I hug her even tighter.

"You're wearing the necklace," she says as she looks up at me.

I simply nod. "I haven't even separated them yet." Keeping one arm around her waist I manage to open the clasp to the chain attached to the character for cat and somehow manage to fasten it around her neck. "You get the cat character and I'll take the panda. That way you can look at yours and know that your Cat is thinking of you and I can look at mine and know my TakaPanda is thinking of me," I tell her softly.

She smiles up at me and then takes hold of the panda character as I take the cat character. We gently break the charms apart. She gently kisses the panda character and then releases it letting it fall back against my chest where it rests against my white tank top.

I kiss the cat character and release it watching it fall against her dark purple shirt. Then I pull her back to me in another hug missing her body against mine already.

We're totally oblivious to the rest of the room, only concerned with holding each other and making sure we're really real and not just some crazy dream.

As Shigure watches Takako run to Kyo he looks at Hatori. "Hatori, how?"

Hatsuharu looks up with a smile, glad that his "sister" is alive again. "Easy Shigure. The one to love him, truly love him, for what he was, _had_ to be strong, courageous, patient, trustworthy, understanding, and loving."

Hatori nods his agreement and looks over at Kyo and Takako still hugging and oblivious to the rest of the room. "That's exactly right," he says with a smile. " And that kind of person always deserves a second chance."

_AN: Well, it's over. I like the way it turned out. This was my birthday gift to myself, albeit the fact it was a month early. My next one will probably be an explanation of how Takako and Sachiko entered the Sohmas' lives. May be a long one. I'll get that started ASAP. Just watch my profile page and I'll keep you posted on how it's going. Thanks for reading and sticking with me! Please review!_

_CN_


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